Posts: 6

Topic: Chemotherapy Treatment Sticker Shock!

First of, thank you very much for reading this. If you could help answer some of the questions below, we would sincerely appreciate it.

My Mom is an international patient with CC and has come to the United States to seek better medical care for her disease. She has no medical insurance coverage in the United States, as such she must self-pay any and all medical costs.

Based on the doctor's recommendations for treatment, we have been provided an self-pay estimate of the treatment cost for Folfox-6. Let's just say that we were quite shocked at the cost! Now it could be just the area/hospital, so we are definitely looking into other possible options.

Questions:

1) For those of you who have had Folfox-6 treatment and self-payed, how much did it cost per cycle?

2) For those who have insurance that covered Folfox-6 treatment, would you be able to share how much the hospital billed the insurance company, as well as how much the insurance company paid the hospital?

3) For those with experience with non-US resident/citizen patients seeking medical treatment in the U.S. who have no medical insurance, do you have any advice on how we could possible get some financial assistance/insurance coverage for my Mom?

4) My Mom actually has medical insurance coverage in her country of origin, just not here in the U.S. Her insurance provider already said that if she upgraded her insurance to have U.S. coverage, she would not be able to use the benefit until 1 year later due to her "pre-existing medical condition." Do you by any chance know of any recent laws that would make her despite the pre-existing medical condition? I thought there was something - but I wasn't sure what to research.

Re: Chemotherapy Treatment Sticker Shock!

cholangio....private medical care is extremely expensive in this country - virtually unaffordable for most and the major cause for bankruptcy filings in the U.S. Others will be able to share with you the cost of the individual treatments as it is printed on their medical bills, but I doubt that we will hear from anyone carrying the cost personally. Having said that: You had mentioned that your Mom had been treated with Gemzar + Xeloda - with negative response. In which country did she receive this medication?Hugs,Marion

THIS INFORMATION IS NOT INTENDED NOR IMPLIED TO BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF YOUR PHYSICIAN OR OTHER QUALIFIED HEALTH CARE PROVIDER

Re: Chemotherapy Treatment Sticker Shock!

The Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan makes health insurance available to people who have had a problem getting insurance due to a pre-existing condition.

The Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan:Covers a broad range of health benefits, including primary and specialty care, hospital care, and prescription drugs.Does not charge you a higher premium just because of your medical condition.Does not base eligibility on income.

The information expressed is not medical advice. The discussion boards are not intended to replace the services of a trained health professional or to be a substitute for the medical advice of physicians or other healthcare providers. Read the full disclaimer.